Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wg55d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-25T07:33:34.122Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Testing of uranium dioxide enriched with 233U under reducing conditions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2011

K. Ollila  and
V. Oversby
K. Ollila
Affiliation:
VTT Processes, Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 1608, FIN-02044 VTT, Finland
V. Oversby
Affiliation:
VMO Konsult, Karlavägen 70, SE-11459 Stockholm, Sweden
Get access

Abstract

Experiments have been conducted to determine an upper limit to the dissolution rate of UO2 under reducing conditions at great depths in granitic bedrock. The aqueous phase was a dilute, synthetic groundwater that simulates fresh groundwater conditions, so-called modified Allard groundwater. Four dissolution tests of long duration were performed. Test duration ranged from 52 to 140 days. Reducing conditions were produced with metallic iron. Average dissolution rates for the UO2 samples under the test conditions were preliminarily calculated based on the total recovery of U at the end of the tests. The dissolution rates ranged from 0.12 to 0.14 ppm/yr for the sum of the total release from the third and fourth cycles of testing (269 days). There was no indication of an effect of alpha radiolysis on the dissolution rate results for UO2 samples with 0, 5, and 10% 233U.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 932: Symposium – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXIX , 2006 , 76.1
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. SKB 2004. Interim main report of the safety assessment SR-Can, SKB Technical Report 04-11, 2004.Google Scholar
2. Shoesmith, D. W., Journal of Nuclear Materials 282, 1 (2000).Google Scholar
3. Ollila, K., Albinsson, Y., Oversby, V. and Cowper, M., “Dissolution rates of unirradiated UO2, UO2 doped with 233U, and spent fuel under normal atmospheric conditions and under reducing conditions using an isotope dilution method”, SKB TR-03-13, 2003.Google Scholar
4. Allard, B., Larson, S. A., Albinsson, Y., Tullborg, E. L., Karlsson, M., Andersson, K. and Torstenfelt, B., in Near-Field Phenomena in Geologic Repositories for Radioactive Waste (NEA Workshop Proc., 1981), pp. 93–101.Google Scholar
5. Vuorinen, U., Snellman, M., “Finnish reference waters for solubility, sorption and diffusion studies”, Posiva Working Report 98-61, 1998.Google Scholar
6. Ollila, K. and Oversby, V. M., “Dissolution of unirradiated UO2 and UO2 doped with 233U under reducing conditions”, SKB TR-05-07, 2005.Google Scholar
7. Salah, S., Cachoir, C., Lemmens, K. and Maes, N., “Static dissolution tests of α-doped UO2 under repository relevant conditions: Influence of Boom Clay and α-activity on fuel dissolution rates". to be published in the proceedings of this symposium.Google Scholar